Sunroof Airbag?

Just when you thought the automakers had nowhere else they could place an airbag, Hyundai shows up with a roof airbag concept. This roof airbag is not in production yet. However, with the NHTSA researching Roof Ejection Mitigation you can assume that this safety feature will gain traction in the coming years.

Consider this, Wards Auto data reported that 40 percent of 2017 model year vehicles had a sunroof, compared to 33 percent for 2011. The risk of ejection is why you can find different glass in sunroofs. For example, tempered glass versus laminated glass sunroofs. The interesting fact about Hyundai’s roof airbag is it would protect occupants if the sunroof was open. When the sunroof is open, the type of glass is kind of a moot point.

Firefighters are well versed in the NHTSA’s 2011 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 226 on ejection mitigation that increased the use of laminated side glass. That standard did not have a requirement for roofs.